Falling for Her Matchmaker
by heartofglass99
Summary: During a party, 17-year-old Maximum Ride realizes what she truly wants: a boyfriend who treats her well. At the party, Max befriends a mysterious handsome boy, Fang Walker, who resolves to set Max up someone she loves. What happens when Max falls for her matchmaker? Fax. Minor Eggy and Nazzy. Complete, but epilogues may be added.
1. Meeting Fang Walker

**New story! I hope you guys like it. **

**It will all be in Max's Point of View. **

* * *

A boyfriend. That was what I wanted right now.

Until now, I'd never taken any interest in boys. They were immature, unsanitary, sexist pigs. I rarely _talked _to them, much less dated them. Deep down, though, I was always dreaming of my Prince Charming. But I hadn't found that boy yet.

That was until the party that changed my life.

My best friend, Nudge, and my twin sister, Ella, were invited to an all-juniors party and insisted on bringing me along. I was planning to turn her down, as usual, but Nudge's Bambi eyes got the best of me once again. I hoped she didn't know she practically had me wrapped around her finger.

Not only did Nudge drag me to a party, but she made me were a freaking _dress. _I tried to fight my way out of that, but Nudge and Ella remembered to bring backup (aka my adorable little sister, Angel). An hour before the party began, I was adorned in a fancy red dress. Nudge didn't put any makeup on me, thank God, because she said I already looked 'delicious'. Was my red dress really that appetizing?

Nudge and Ella had been trying to set me up with since middle school, but I always shut down them efforts before they could get far. The best she managed was to get me alone in a room with some random guy. After a slap to the face, he was out of there.

After this party, though, my view on life was turned completely upside down.

According to Nudge, the party was hosted by Sam Rothfleisch, the grade's primary player. I silently swore not to open a single door in the house that wasn't on the main floor in fear of getting scarred for life by what lay behind the door.

Thirty minutes before the party started, Nudge, Ella, and I left our house. During the ride, Ella gave me a brief background on junior parties. I mentally went over safety procedures for the party: avoid drawing attention at all costs, don't drink a drop of liquid, and do not make eye contact with boys.

We pulled into Sam's neighborhood several minutes after the party started. Already, rows of cars were lined up in front of Sam's house. Nudge, Ella, and I carefully exited her car and walked to the front door. Nudge knocked on the door, and it opened in seconds.

"Thanks for coming, girls," he said, eyeing us up and down. I immediately felt self-conscious of the low V-necked dress Nudge picked out for me.

"No problem," Nudge replied with a smile. She was always a sucker for hot guys, regardless of how sick and perverted they were.

"Everyone's over there," Sam said, pointing down a long corridor leading to the living room.

As I walked down the hallway, I could feel everyone's eyes on me. Nudge told me it was because I looked beautiful, but I suspected everyone was just thinking, "Max in a dress? What is the world coming to?"

In the living room, the first thing I noticed was how many couples there were making out. They found some really creative places to set down, like fireplaces? Really? And how did all this happen within the first five minutes of the party?

Under most circumstances, I would've cringed at the sight and gotten the hell out of there.

But this time, I was jealous. _Jealous. _I was actually jealous of a bunch of couples slobbering all over each other. I blamed overactive teenage hormones.

Fighting the urge to grab someone and spontaneously make out with them, I spun on my heels and walked to the kitchen. Nudge and Ella were already out of my sight, probably talking to some boys.

"Whoa, there," a soft, deep voice said. I felt a pair of strong arms latch around my shoulders and steady me. I hadn't realized I was inches away from knocking over a bowl of punch.

I looked up to find myself face-to-face with a tall, dark-haired, handsome boy wearing a black shirt and black jeans. I vaguely remembered seeing him in the hallway here and there. He was one of the hottest boys in the school, but he was careful with his girlfriend selection. He wasn't a player who went around using girls for their bodies. If decent men existed, he was one of them.

"Uh, thanks," I said awkwardly. The boy looked at me with his deep black eyes. I felt like I was being sucked into them into another world.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Maximum Ride. What's yours?"

"Nicholas Walker. I go by Fang." Oh, _that _was him. Plenty of girls talked about him and his looks. He didn't seem like a conceited guy, though. Fang was just naturally handsome. "Pleased to meet you, Max," he said, extending his hand to shake. I clasped it firmly and shook his hand hard. "So, what brings you here? I don't usually see you around at parties," he asked.

"My best friend forced me to go. I couldn't stand being in the same room as all those sloppy couples," I lied.

Fang laughed, a soft laugh that made my heart skip a beat. "I don't blame you."

"You're usually surrounded by girls. Why aren't you in there?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "Single right now. I don't kiss girls unless we're officially together. Can't mess with their feelings like that."

"Finally, a guy who actually respects girls. I thought they didn't exist anymore."

Fang smiled. "I take it you've never dated before?"

"Nope," I said, popping the 'p'.

"Have you ever been interested in dating?"

"Well, a little. It's just that all the guys at school are so egotistical I can't even talk to them, much less go out with them."

"I know a way to help you, if you're willing to accept my help."

"I'm fine," I replied, way too quickly and urgently to sound believable. Fang raised his eyebrows. "Okay, sure. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, my friend has a football game tomorrow at Oakcrest. I'm going to watch him. There will be plenty of junior and senior guys there, and I promise they're better than the juniors at Westpoint." I looked at him. Fang, the hottest guy in the school, was willing to help an unpopular girl he just met find a date? Maybe boys weren't so bad after all. I felt weird thinking this, but Fang helped restore my faith in the male gender.

_Why the hell not, _I thought. I had nothing to lose by doing this besides a few hours of my time. I slowly nodded, looking Fang in the eye.

"That sounds good."

He grinned. "I'll pick you up at noon tomorrow, okay? The game's at one."

"Thanks a lot, Fang."

"Don't mention it. I think you'll get along well with my friend, by the way."

"He's a guy, right?"

"He is, but he's nothing like the guys here. He's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. His name is James, by the way, but people call him Iggy."

"Um, okay. You think he'll give me a chance?" Fang stared at me for a second, and then slowly smiled.

"I'm not sure. We'll have to see. He's a great guy, though."

"A great guy? I have to see it to believe it."

"You're seeing it right now, are you not?"

"Huh. I guess so." Suddenly, it dawned on me that I just had a civilized conversation with a guy. Maybe I wasn't so hopeless after all.

"Don't worry about it, Max. You'll find someone within a month, I promise."

"I'm glad you have ambitious expectations of me." Fang raised his eyebrows.

"No, it's just that with your open distrust of males, I'm sure it won't be easy for me to find someone for you."

"You got that right," I said, in a mock-serious tone. Fang chuckled. After a moment of not responding, Fang stood up.

"Well, I'll be going now. Friends to catch. But can I enter my number on your phone first?"

"Yeah, sure," I said, fishing my phone out of my bag and handing it to him. He pressed a few buttons and handed it back. He offered me his phone, and I did the same. I put my phone back in my purse. "See you later, Fang."

"Later," he said, turning around and walking off. I let the last fifteen minutes sink in. I made a male friend, for the what, first time in my life? He was a man of few words, but they were all he needed to communicate. Most importantly, he seemed like a good guy. The rumors were correct: he was indeed hot, he was kind, and he wasn't stuck-up. He was absolutely nothing like the other boys.

Fang really was a special guy.

* * *

**How was it? Reviews are loved.**


	2. Worst Night of my Life

I'll say this once: Unless I'm such a cruel person to wait three years before adding a new book to a series, I'm not JP.

Recap: _"Well, my friend has a football game tomorrow at Oakcrest. I'm going to watch him. There will be plenty of junior and senior guys there, and I promise they're better than the juniors at Westpoint." I looked at him. Fang, the hottest guy in the school, was willing to help an unpopular girl he just met find a date? Maybe boys weren't so bad after all. I felt weird thinking this, but Fang helped restore my faith in the male gender._

Why the hell not, _I thought. I had nothing to lose by doing this besides a few hours of my time. I slowly nodded, looking Fang in the eye._

_"That sounds good."_

* * *

As much as I wanted to tell Nudge about him, I couldn't. Not yet, at least. She'd be hurt to see that I accepted some random guy's offer to set me up and blew Nudge off every time she tried. I would've had to tell her sometime, but maybe it could wait until I got a boyfriend. _If _I got one.

Speaking of Nudge, where was she? I hoped she didn't have any drinks while I was talking to Fang. I wanted to call out to her, but my voice wouldn't travel ten feet in this house before getting drowned out by the blaring music. As risky as it was, I took to exploring the house until I found Nudge.

As I turned a corner to leave the kitchen, I nearly bumped into someone. I stopped in my tracks, seeing Sam in front of me.

"Hey, Max," he said, grinning. "I'm free for the next half hour, and there's a room upstairs. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If you're thinking that you should lock yourself in the room and sit in the corner, then yes."

"Come on, Max. It's just for fun, you know."

"Find someone who's dumb enough to accept your offer, Sam," I growled, pushing past him. See what I meant by not liking Westpoint's boys? And Sam wasn't even the worst of them. He was a player, and a jerk, but he wasn't strong or smart enough to cause me harm. If he tried anything with me, he'd wake up in a hospital bed.

"Max!" Nudge yelled. I looked up to see my best friend running towards me. "Where have you been?"

"In the kitchen."

"Who were you talking to?"

"Do you know who Fang Walker is?"

Nudge gasped. "YOU WERE TALKING TO FANG?"

"Yeah."

Her eyes widened. "ZOMG."

"What? What's so great about that?"

"Are you serious? He's, like, the hottest guy in the school! Please tell me you're dating him now!"

"_Dating_ him? We just met, Nudge!"

Her face fell. "Oh. But you finally talked to a guy! I'm so happy for you!"

"Fang's not like most guys. He's actually nice, respectful, and not egotistical."

"Well, _duh! _He's the legendary Fang Walker!"

"The 'legendary' Sam Rothfleisch is an asshole."

"Yeah, you're right. But he _is _hot, you have to admit," Nudge said.

"He will be hot once I throw him into a pit of fire."

Nudge huffed, "Fine. But have you found any boys you're interested in dating?"

"Nope, but Fang is trying to set me up," I said, without thinking. My hands shot to my mouth. I looked at Nudge. _Please don't be angry. Please don't be angry. _Thankfully, Nudge was anything but angry. She grabbed my shoulders and jumped up and down, her dark, curly hair bouncing off her back.

"MAX! THAT IS SO AWESOME!" she said between jumps.

"Calm down, Nudge!" I said, shaking her off. "And yeah, it is pretty cool."

"Where's Fang? I need to talk to him."

"Not sure. He went off to find some friends."

"Looks like Ella and I will have help for once."

"Yeah, I guess so. By the way, you haven't drunk anything, right?"

Nudge laughed. "I'm not _that _stupid, Max."

"Just checking."

Nudge clasped her hands together. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"What do people even do at parties, again?"

"You forgot Ella's speech already?" she said, raising her eyebrows.

"More or less."

"Well, there's the living room for couples who want to make out. There are some rooms upstairs for 'serious' couples. There's a dance floor in the basement if that's your thing."

"Anything else?"

Nudge paused a moment, looking thoughtful. "There's a bar by the dance floor if you want drinks."

"Seriously? Is this all people do at parties?"

"Well, no. There's a group of people in the backyard smoking cigarettes, but I don't think you're interested."

"I'm out of here," I said. Why were people so interested in going to parties? They were so pointless. I mean, why would people want to make out in public? I was no expert in the topic, but I knew enough to know it should be done behind closed doors.

"No! Max! The party just started!" Nudge wailed. I groaned.

"What am I supposed to do, then?"

"You can do anything! It ends at midnight," Nudge yelled. Before I could respond, Nudge had disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone. I checked my phone clock. It was barely 9:00. I could've been sleeping, reading, or doing _anything _at home, but no. Nudge had to drag me to this hellhole known as Sam's house.

I knew tonight was going to be the worst night of my life.


	3. Never a Good Thing

Recap:_"I'm out of here," I said. Why were people so interested in going to parties? They were so pointless. I mean, why would people want to make out in public? I was no expert in the topic, but I knew enough to know it should be done behind closed doors._

_"No! Max! The party just started!" Nudge wailed. I groaned._

_"What am I supposed to do, then?"_

_"You can do anything! It ends at midnight," Nudge yelled. Before I could respond, Nudge had disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone. I checked my phone clock. It was barely 9:00. I could've been sleeping, reading, or doing anything at home, but no. Nudge had to drag me to this hellhole known as Sam's house._

_I knew tonight was going to be the worst night of my life._

Lol that was basically half of last chapter; it was so short. Thankfully, this chapter is longer. Not long, but over 1000 words.

Enjoy!

* * *

I roamed the house, looking for somewhere peaceful to lie down and wait the night out. Unfortunately, every single room was occupied. Even the bathrooms were full of drunk partygoers doing drugs. As I passed by the dance floor, a glassy-eyed boy grabbed my arm.

"Want a drink?" he said, shakily holding an opened can of Bud Light out to me. I swiftly grabbed it and dumped it on his head. It dribbled down his face and soaked through his shirt.

"No, thanks," I said, turning around and leaving the room. I made my way back to the first floor, where my eardrums didn't feel like they were about to burst. I left the house and made my way back to Nudge's car. Thankfully, I had a key to get in. I lay down across the two back seats and locked the doors. No way I hell would I leave the car open next to a place like this.

I texted Ella, telling her where I was.

_I'll be there in five,_ she responded.

Four minutes later, I saw Ella approaching the car. I unlocked the doors for her and she got into the front seat.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Do I really need to tell you? This place is like hell!"

"Max, you just need to get used to it. I'm sure you'll love them soon."

"Are you serious? What's there to love about a gaggle of drunk whores?"

"Well, when you put it that way," she said, as we both burst out laughing. After a few seconds, Ella's face became serious again. "I saw you talking to Fang Walker in the kitchen. Is there anything going on with you guys?" she asked, slowly smiling.

"No!"

Ella raised her eyebrows. "Then what were you talking about? You haven't had a civilized conversation with a boy before since third grade."

"Well, that's because they're assholes! Fang is the first nice boy I've met."

"They aren't assholes. Most of them, at least. Well, actually, they kinda are. But what were you talking to Fang about for so long?"

"Don't freak out when I tell you."

"I won't," Ella said uncertainly, attempting to put the puzzle together. She probably assumed Fang asked me out.

"Fang's trying to set me up with his friends."

One…

Two…

Ella's eyes lit up. "That's great! Are you going to let him?"

"Yeah."

"So you're willing to accept help from a boy and not your sisters or best friend?"

"Well, considering Fang has no blackmail material, I have nothing to lose."

"You have a point, my dear sister. Where is he taking you?" Ella asked.

"His friend's football game."

"Can I come?"

"Ask Fang," I said.

Ella asked, "Do you have his number?"

"Yeah."

"Can you text him, then?"

"Sure, but why don't you want to talk to him?" I asked.

"I-I want to," Ella said nervously. "but a guy like Fang would never be caught dead talking to someone like me."

"Don't say that! And Fang is the nicest boy in the school! I don't care if he's hot or not. Besides, you're gorgeous. Half the boys in your class would kill to date you."

"Do you really think that?"

"You know it, sister."

"Thanks, Max," Ella said, wrapping her arms around me. I returned her hug and squeezed her tight. "You're an amazing twin sister," she managed through the hug.

"Don't mention it."

"But seriously," said Ella, pulling away from me. "you don't think Fang will get mad or embarrass me?"

"I promise he won't. And I will beat the crap out of him if he does."

"On that thought, can you text him?"

I narrowed my eyes at her but received only laughter. "Fine." I took out my phone and sent a message to Fang.

* * *

**To: Fang Walker**

Hey, can my sister Ella come to the football game tomorrow?

* * *

**From: Fang Walker**

Of course. By the way, what's your address? I forgot to ask.

* * *

**To: Fang Walker**

Thanks! And it's 3125 Batchelder Lane in Phoenix.

* * *

**From: Fang Walker**

Sounds good. I'll be there at noon.

* * *

"He says you can come, Ella."

"Yessss! Thanks, Max!" she squealed. I loved my sister and all, but sometimes she acted like she was ten. And she was always teasing me about how she was born first.

"No problem. It's at noon tomorrow."

"Okay. Are jeans and a t-shirt okay?"

"Yep."

"Sounds like fun. We should probably get Nudge now. It's well past 11."

"Right!" I said, pressing the remote. Even after unlocking the doors so many times, I couldn't help but feel like a Jedi whenever I did it.

Ella and I walked back to Sam's house in silence. I stepped onto the porch, followed closely by Ella.

"Your turn, sister. I'm not going back in there." Ella shrugged.

"Back in a flash," she said, darting off into the house. I lay down on the porch hammock, which was _really _comfortable, by the way, and tried to block out the noises coming from the house. Thankfully, Sam's parents were smart enough to buy a pretty damn soundproof front door, so I couldn't hear much besides the occasional squeal or giggle.

Ten minutes later, Ella came back out onto the porch, breathing heavily.

"Found…Nudge…she's…drunk," Ella gasped between breaths.

"First things first, what happened to you?" I asked, sitting up. Ella sat down next to me and leaned back.

"Stupid…boys. Tell you…later."

"We have time now. You can't help Nudge right now." Ella took several deep breaths as her heart rate inched back down to a normal range.

"Fine," she said at last. "a boy tried to back me into a room downstairs. I ran away, and he chased after me. I lost him in the crowd and came back here."

"Nice work. Although, you _do_ remember the uppercut I taught you last week, right?"

"Of course. Your jaw remembers, too." I winced, recalling the memory. Ella threw a punch before I was ready, and my mouth was still sore from it.

"But seriously. We have to get Nudge right now," I told her.

"Okay. I'll show you where she is," Ella said, standing up. She opened the door and we walked in together.

* * *

A drunk Nudge is never a good thing...


	4. Fang Saves the Day

Recap: _"Found…Nudge…she's…drunk," Ella gasped between breaths._

_..._

_"But seriously. We have to get Nudge right now," I told her._

_"Okay. I'll show you where she is," Ella said, standing up. She opened the door and we walked in together._

* * *

Ella led me down a long hallway, into the kitchen, and down a flight of stairs into the basement. Ella grabbed my hand and pushed through the crowd, looking for Nudge. I didn't see any traces of her.

Finally, Ella spotted her in the corner of the basement holding a half-empty bottle. She was making out with a short, brown-haired boy.

"Nudge!" I yelled. Naturally, Nudge ignored me and continued swapping spit with the boy. Ella ran up and pushed them apart. She shook Nudge's shoulders and yelled, trying to wake her from her stupor. I knew it was a naïve hope, though. She couldn't become sober in ten seconds by being shaken. Ella let go of Nudge and looked at me.

_Carry her,_ she mouthed. I nodded and moved towards them. I lifted Nudge off the ground, bridal-style, and Ella grabbed her feet. As soon as we secured her, Nudge rolled out of my grasp and walked back to the boy.

"What are you doing?" Nudge questioned.

"You idiot! We're bringing you home!" Ella yelled.

"But it's fun here!" Nudge said absently. She giggled crazily.

"I don't care! We're going now." Ella grabbed her arms and tried to pull Nudge towards the stairs. Fortunately or unfortunately, Nudge was strong. She easily fought her way out of Ella's grip and turned around.

I sighed. This would take forever. Ella and I weren't strong enough to effectively carry Nudge to her car without hurting her. As I was racking my brain for ideas, I heard a voice behind me.

"I can help," a voice said from behind me. I whipped around to find myself face-to-face with Fang. I grinned.

"Thanks," I said. He shrugged, as if saying, _Don't mention it. _Fang quickly stepped towards Nudge and scooped her up in his arms.

"Where to?" he asked.

"Follow me," I said. I pushed through the crowd, trying to clear space for Fang and Nudge. Even though Nudge was struggling madly, Fang had her under control. He was really strong.

I made my way through the hallways, followed by Fang and Ella. I propped open the front door for Fang to walk through. By now, Nudge had stopped struggling. Fang set her down on the hammock.

"Thanks a million, Fang," I said, giving him a hug. He hesitated for a moment before returning it. I couldn't help noticing he smelled wonderful. Whatever cologne he used, it worked.

"Any time." He stepped out of our embrace and went back inside. When I turned away from him, I saw Ella looking at me with something like wonder in her eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"You-you-how did you do that?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Do what?"

"Become friends with Fang!"

"Oh, please. He's a nice guy. Trust me, Ella," I said. Shrugging, Ella went over to the hammock to get Nudge. She was still awake, but she was groaning and having trouble getting up. I felt a sudden burst of gratitude for Fang's help. Without him, we never would've gotten Nudge out here. All we had to do was carry her a few hundred easy feet to her car, and we'd be good to go.

Ella and I positioned ourselves on either side of Nudge and wrapped our Nudge-side arms around her. Slowly, we descended the stairs. Nudge wasn't walking, but thankfully she wasn't putting up a fight. We were supporting her weight just fine.

Within five minutes, Nudge was safely buckled up in the backseat. I got in the driver's seat and Ella sat down next to me in the passenger's seat. Just as I stuck the key in the ignition, I realized I didn't know where I was going to drive to. Nudge's house wasn't an option, because her mom would be beyond upset if Nudge came home drunk. My house was a bad option, because my mom would get equally mad at Ella and me for letting Nudge get drunk. We'd be banned from parties for a while, which was no problem for me, but I couldn't let it happen to Ella.

Our only hope was Fang. I whipped out my phone and texted him.

* * *

**To: Fang Walker**

I know this is a lot to ask, but can Nudge, Ella, and I crash at your place?

* * *

He responded promptly.

* * *

**From: Fang Walker**

Yeah, sure. May I ask why?

* * *

**To: Fang Walker**

Nowhere to bring a drunk Nudge without getting people pissed. Thanks so much!

* * *

**From: Fang Walker**

No prob. Give me a few minutes.

* * *

I smiled. Fang was coming through for me, once again. I knew how selfish I was being, but what option did we have? Seeing my sister or best friend miserable was simply unbearable.

After telling Ella our plans (which she was thrilled about), I decided to text my mom so she wouldn't get suspicious.

* * *

**To: Mom**

El and I are sleeping over at Nudge's house. We'll be home by 5 tomorrow.

* * *

**From: Mom**

Sounds good darling. Be careful at the party!

* * *

I smiled guiltily. I didn't want to lie to my mom, but I couldn't tell her that I was bringing a drunk Nudge to a random boy's house. That wouldn't go over with her too well.

Just then, I saw Fang through the dashboard. He waved to get my attention and I nodded in response. I rolled down the window.

"I'm leaving now, too. My car is several back," he said, walking past our car. When Fang revved his engine, I realized that I'd been staring at him. I sighed. He was really hot. His perfectly chiseled jaw and soft, deep, dark eyes could bring any girl to their knees. As unlikely as it was, I hoped I'd be able to find a boyfriend as good-looking, sweet, and caring as Fang. I'd just about given up hope after dealing with the boys at Westpoint for three years.

Fang drove his car up alongside Nudge's. "Just follow me. It's not far from here." I nodded and turned the key. After wiggling out of our parking spot, I followed Fang down the road.


	5. At Fang's House

Recap: _Fang drove his car up alongside Nudge's. "Just follow me. It's not far from here." I nodded and turned the key. After wiggling out of our parking spot, I followed Fang down the road._

* * *

Ten minutes later, Fang pulled up in front of a towering apartment building. He got out of his car and motioned for me to park next to him. I pulled into the spot and Ella and I got out. Ella opened the door to the back seat where Nudge was conked out. She unbuckled the seatbelt and slowly pulled Nudge out. Ella grabbed her feet, and I held Nudge's shoulders. Fang stood on the other side of us and supported Nudge's back.

We slowly walked through the door and to the elevator. "Third floor. Room 321," Fang said. Ella let go of Nudge to press the elevator buttons. Fang shifted over to compensate for Ella leaving, and we entered the elevator just before the door closed.

As we exited the elevator, Ella resumed her position carrying Nudge. Fang could've easily carried her by himself, but I felt bad about burdening him thus far, and it put me at rest knowing I could help in some way. We walked to Fang's apartment and set Nudge down. After Fang opened the door and led us inside, Ella and I set Nudge down on one of his two couches.

"Max and Ella, you two can have the bed and couch. I'll take the floor," Fang said.

"No way. It's your bed," I said.

"Not tonight. Do you think I'm not man enough to sleep on the floor?" Fang joked, smiling. I rolled my eyes, knowing he would never let me sleep on the floor. I felt guilty about stealing his bed, but I knew this was a battle I couldn't win with Fang.

I sat down on the empty couch. Ella sat next to Nudge. I was extremely aware that Fang's arm was pressed against mine on the couch. "What do you want to watch?"

"Ooh! Do you have Disney Channel?" Ella said happily.

Fang raised his eyebrows. "Isn't that for kids?"

"Umm…yeah. I guess so. It's still good, though!" Fang shrugged and turned to Disney Channel. Jessie, one of my least favorite shows, was on. I felt really bad for Jessie, having to take care of a bunch of little kids. They were practically a flock of birds on Red Bull. I always referred to them as a flock, at least.

I tried my best to ignore the annoying TV program as I mentally prepared myself for tomorrow. I'd never had an opportunity like this before, and I didn't want to completely embarrass myself. As I was going through the protocol, I realized something.

Oh, crap.

Crap crap crap.

I was wearing a DRESS. I had no change of clothes. I couldn't sleep in a dress, or wear it to a football game. Wow, way to think ahead, Max. This will be awkward.

"Uh, Fang?" I asked. He turned to face me. "Do you, by any chance, have a spare outfit I can borrow?"

Just realizing my predicament, he laughed softly. "Of course. I'll be right back," he said, getting up. He walked to his room. Three minutes later, he came back holding a pair of folded blue jeans and a green t-shirt.

"My only outfit that's not black," he told me, handing the clothes to me.

I smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks, Fang. You're a life saver, you know?" He shrugged modestly. I got up and walked to the bathroom to change. Five minutes later, I came out of the bathroom dressed in Fang's outfit.

"By the way, why don't you have a girlfriend? Girls are practically drooling over you," I asked Fang.

"They're just in it for the fireworks in bed. I've decided not to take on a relationship unless it's with someone I can be with long-term."

"You mean…marriage?"

"Not necessarily, but that would be ideal." I nodded in agreement. Another reason why I never bothered with love: because it never lasts.

"By the way, do you personally know anyone at the football game tomorrow?" I asked.

"I'm friends with all of them, but I'm only really close with Iggy and his brother."

"His brother?"

"Yeah. His name is Gazzy, and he's a sophomore."

"So this game is junior varsity?"

"No, Gazzy is on varsity," Fang said.

"Oh, ok. Are you looking for a girlfriend there?"

Fang shrugged. "You could say that. I'm not getting my hopes up, though."

"How many girlfriends have you had?"

"Two since ninth grade."

"That's two more than me," I said.

Fang smiled. "Just for now. The girls and I will find someone for you tomorrow."

"I hope so. Wait, how did you know that Ella and Nudge are trying to set me up?"

"Nudge told me at the party. You know, a lot of the boys at Westpoint would kill to date you."

"I'd probab-wait, really?" Fang looked at me in disbelief.

"Of course, Max! I've told you that a million times!" Ella interjected. She'd been so engrossed by the TV show, I'd almost forgotten she was there. I was glad that she didn't treat Fang like an idol anymore, though. He was just another high school student like us who happened to be hot.

"Why would anyone want to date _me_?" I asked, incredulous.

"You're gorgeous, you're sweet, and you're my sister," Ella said, smiling.

Fang yawned. "She's right. I'm going to sleep now. You can keep watching TV if you'd like, though."

"I'm tired, too. I'll sleep," I said, walking to his bedroom. Fang was making himself comfortable on a blanket on the floor. "Ella, can you give Nudge some water so she doesn't get hung over tomorrow?" Ella gave me a thumbs up as I entered Fang's room. I lay down on Fang's bed and pulled the covers over myself. Within a few minutes, I was asleep in Fang's bed.

* * *

The story will be 15 chapters, and maybe 1-5 epilogues, by the way.

Thanks for reading!

-J


	6. Meet Me in the Gym

Recap:_ I lay down on Fang's bed and pulled the covers over myself. Within a few minutes, I was asleep in Fang's bed._

* * *

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the smell of bacon wafting in from the kitchen. I quickly got out of bed and walked out to the living room, where Fang, Nudge, and Ella were already waiting for me. Nudge, who was now sober, was watching TV, while Fang and Ella cooked breakfast. Was there something going on with them? Nah, I decided. Their chemistry wasn't like that. Even though they were both single, Fang wasn't really Ella's type.

When I got into the living room, Nudge looked up at me. Her eyes widened. "I'm so so sorry, Max! I just drank a cup of punch! Ben told me it was okay!"

"It's fine. Just be careful next time, kay?"

"I will!"

"Good. Who's Ben, by the way?"

"A boy in my English class. Short, brown hair, jerk. You know him?"

"Nope. If he was a jerk, why were you madly making out with him yesterday?"

"I didn't want to! I was drunk!" Nudge cried. If nothing else, I hoped this could be a lesson to Nudge on completely blowing me off and accepting a drink from a random boy. Nudge was my best friend and a great girl, but she was a bit too wild and free at times.

"So what does this teach you about accepting drinks at a party?"

"Jeez, are you my mom now, Max?"

"Sure. By the way, Fang was the one who carried you outside and into his apartment," I told her softly. Nudge's eyes widened so much I thought her eyeballs were going to pop out.

"No way…why do I have to be drunk for the best things?" Nudge wailed.

"It wouldn't have happened if you were sober."

"True. In that case, I'm not complaining. Well, except for Ben. Isn't that illegal or something?"

"I wish it was, but we can't prove anything. There's nothing we can do."

"Whatever, lawyer Max. Not that I'm complaining about being here, but when are we leaving?" Nudge asked.

"Fang didn't tell you? He's taking Ella and I to his friend's football game."

"Oh. When is it? Can I come?"

"One o' clock. And yeah, sure."

"Sweet! And Max, how come you're so interested in boys all of a sudden? Ten years of convincing from Ella and I got nowhere, but one talk with Fang and you're in?"

"Pretty much."

Nudge shrugged. "I don't blame you."

From the kitchen, Fang called, "Breakfast is ready, girls." Nudge and I stood up and walked to the kitchen. I resisted the urge to grab handfuls of the bacon and stuff it in my mouth. Instead, I opted to grab four plates and set them at the table. Ella placed the bacon in a heaping stack on a large plate, Fang placed the eggs in a bowl next to the bacon, and Nudge poured us all orange juice. I grabbed forks and knives for everyone as we all sat down.

We all helped ourselves to large servings of bacon and eggs while Fang gave us a brief explanation of what football games were like. None of us girls had been at one before, even at Westpoint, so we needed Fang's advice. He told us not to laugh too loudly and cheer when the blue team scored. Sounded easy enough.

"What do you guys want to do until then?" Fang asked. "And I'm not going shopping." Nudge and Ella laughed.

"How about ice cream?" I suggested. Nudge's and Ella's eyes lit up. Fang smiled slightly and shrugged.

"Yes yes yes! We have to go to the new place on 22nd!" Nudge squealed. Ella stayed quiet but looked equally excited.

Fang and I exchanged a look, and Fang stood up. "Why the hell not," he decided. We all left Fang's apartment and walked towards the elevators. We left the building and walked out to Fang's car. Fang drove, I sat shotgun, and Nudge and Ella sat in the back seats.

I wasn't able to suppress a laugh as Fang put on his sunglasses. "What are you laughing at?" he asked.

"You-you look like Harry Potter!" Fang raised his eyebrows and turned to Nudge and Ella.

"Do I really look like Harry Potter?" he asked.

"Yes!" they chorused. Besides the black hair, he really did look like Harry Potter in his shades. It was actually kind of scary how similar they looked. Except that Fang was a lot more attractive than Harry. Wait, I did not just think that, did I? Fang was friend trying to help me find a boyfriend. He made that quite clear to me when we met.

That wasn't a problem, right?

Before I could think about it further, Fang asked me, "Do you know where on 22nd the shop is?"

"Yeah. Go north, just past the park, and the shop is on our left."

"Thanks," he said. While Nudge and Ella made random conversation in the back, Fang and I sat in silence as we approached the ice cream shop. Fang parked in the lot behind the shop, and we got out of the car. As we entered the shop, the mellow but irresistible scent of ice cream filled my nostrils.

We got in line and waited for our turn. After several minutes of waiting, we finally reached the front of the line. Fang and Nudge ordered chocolate, Ella got a petite fat-free serving of vanilla, and I got a double-scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough. Don't ask me why, but I just LOVED it.

As Fang took out his wallet, I pushed him to the side and dropped a bill on the counter.

"Hey, I got it," Fang said.

"I'm paying," I insisted, looking him in the eye. We stared each other down until Fang backed down. The cashier scooped up my bill and returned the change. Fang didn't look too happy, but I wasn't about to let him pay after he let us stay at his house and gave us breakfast.

As we got our ice cream, Fang said to me, "I like it."

"What?"

"You got a double scoop. Most girls get tiny, fat-free scoops."

"I love ice cream. I don't really watch what I eat, since I have a really fast metabolism," I said.

"Don't blame you. You know, all the girls in our grade would kill to have a fast metabolism."

"I've realized that. Do they annoy you as much as they annoy me?"

"Oh, you have no idea. Let me just say that I've never had to lift a weight in my life. Prying them off of me gives me enough exercise by itself," he said. We both laughed.

After we finished our ice cream, Fang suggested we go to Oakcrest early to get good seats. It was just past 11:00 and the school was 45 minutes away, so we'd be there well before the start of the game. Even though we encountered minor traffic, we arrived at the game an hour before the scheduled start time. Fang, Nudge, Ella, and I got front-row seats next to the home team's sideline. Before the game began, the home team's starters stretched and ran laps around the field. Half the team was still sitting on the sidelines, though.

"Iggy!" Fang called. A boy shot up from his seat and turned around. He was tall, blonde, and had a really pale complexion.

"What's up?" Iggy said, walking over to us. He looked us over, and his eyes settled on Ella for a moment too long. She blushed madly. "What's your name?" Iggy asked Ella. When he smiled, Ella's breath audibly caught in her throat.

"I'm Ella," she said shyly.

"Nice to meet you. I gotta run now. Meet me in the gym after the game?" he asked.

Ella quickly nodded. "Y-yes, of course."

Iggy gave her one last wink before turning around and running back to his team. "See ya later!" he announced.


	7. Relax, Max

Recap:_ "Nice to meet you. I gotta run now. Meet me in the gym after the game?" Iggy asked._

_Ella quickly nodded. "Y-yes, of course."_

_Iggy gave her one last wink before turning around and running back to his team. "See ya later!" he announced._

* * *

As soon as he left, we all turned to Ella. "Why is everyone looking at me?" she asked. I braced myself for what was inevitably coming next.

"ZOMG YOU ARE SO LUCKY!" Nudge exclaimed. "Iggy is, like, so hot!"

"He actually talked to me!" Ella said, as if realizing it for the first time.

"Didn't I tell you, sister?" I told her.

"Why do you always have to be right?" she complained. "Of course, not that I'm complaining here."

Fang laughed. "I guess I'll make it a goal to set all three of you up. I got one so far."

"Okay, now you sound like the player you look like," I said, jokingly.

Fang raised his eyebrows. "Do I really look like a player?"

"Well, yeah. Pretty much all the hot guys at school are players."

"So you think I'm hot?" Fang asked, smirking.

My cheeks reddened. "No! Of course not! Why would your big head think that?" I said, trying to cover up my mistake. But Fang knew I meant what I said, even though I'd never admit it. I really had a way with words, didn't I?

Sensing my predicament, Ella chimed in to save me from further embarrassment. "Fang? Can you tell me a bit about Iggy?"

Fang turned to her, choosing to let me off the hook. I breathed a sigh of relief as Fang gave Ella a brief biography on Iggy. While he talked, Ella gave me a look saying, _you owe me for this._ I stuck my tongue at her.

"He's a pyromaniac. He loves blowing stuff up with his brother. He's really fast, but he's not very strong. He's really laid-back, and he's a funny guy. He's my best friend, he's really nice, and I'm sure he'll treat you well if things work out. Trust me, you'll love him."

Ella nodded. "Thanks." She was trying to act calm, but having lived with her for seventeen years, I could tell she was freaking out inside. She'd dated several guys during high school so far, but none of them had really worked out for her. After one of them tried to rape her, she decided to stop dating until she found a guy she could really trust. If I hadn't taught her some basic self-defense moves, things might not have ended well. I wanted to beat the living daylights out of the idiot who tried to take advantage of my sister, but it turned out Ella already took care of it. I'd never been so proud of my fraternal twin in my whole life.

But if Iggy was anything like Fang, I was sure Ella would be all right. She knew the basics of Max Kwon Do, my person martial arts system. It was a slightly varied version of Tae Kwon Do, but with dirtier moves. I was pretty darn proud of it.

Based on Fang's description and Iggy's laid-back attitude, Iggy seemed like a great guy. Although I didn't believe in love at first sight, I was positive Ella and Iggy would get along famously.

"Game's starting in five," Fang told me. I looked up at the scoreboard, which was now displaying the home team's roster. Iggy and Gazzy Griffiths were numbers 21 and 22, respectively. After the school's chorus sang the national anthem, the teams took the field for the game.

The game was long, with a bunch of breaks. I didn't understand much of what was going on, but I did know that Iggy's team, Oakcrest, lost. I had to give it to them; they really knew how to celebrate. I wasn't sure how 300-pound guys in pads could do a backflip, but I guess people learned new things every day. Even though I wasn't a football fan, watching the game was a lot of fun. But contrary to what Fang said, a football game didn't seem like a great place to meet boys.

As if reading my mind, Fang told me, "The team always hangs out in the gym after games. You'll get a chance to meet them. And I promise, they take showers after the game."

"Oh, thank goodness. But they won't mind if we come?"

"Definitely not. I used to be on the team, but I decided on soccer instead. They're not picky about who comes as long as they don't eat too much food."

"I guess I'm not welcome, then."

Fang laughed. "I was just kidding. They have plenty of food."

"They better. It's lunchtime already, and I'm sure you know what girls are like when they don't get food."

"You got that right," he said smugly.

"Shut up, Fang. Like guys aren't cranky."

"Well, guys are always like that. Girls, however, go from punching you in the face to making out with you the next minute," Fang said reasonably.

"Hey, it's not like it's our choice."

Fang shrugged. "Sure. The team is probably almost done by now. Wanna go?"

"Sure thing." The four of us made our way out of the humongous bleacher complex and walked to the main school building. The door was already unlocked, and there were plenty of signs leading to the gymnasium. We made it there in five minutes.

In the gym, the entire team was already waiting. Iggy spotted us and immediately ran over. He gave Fang a fist bump and grinned at Ella.

"Yo, Fang, mind if I talk to Ella by herself?" he asked. Ella's eyes were shining and she was trying to restraining herself from jumping up and down.

"Of course," Fang said. "Take as long as you need." Iggy gave him a thumbs up and turned to Ella. He took her hand and led her to a set of chairs against the wall. When I turned back around to Fang, Nudge was already gone. She was probably looking for a boyfriend, as well.

"Which guys are decent here?" I asked Fang. Before he could respond, a tall, brown-haired guy walked up to me.

"Hey, are you a cheerleader here?" he asked innocently. He wasn't particularly bad-looking, but he had nothing on Fang.

"Nah. I don't go here."

"Well, it's not too late to join. And as long as you show up, the committee will let you join. I'd love to see you in a cheerleading outfit," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Ugh. For a second, I thought he might not have been one of those guys, but I was wrong.

"I'm fine," I said firmly, walking away from him. _Pervert. _As soon as we were a safe distance from him, I turned to Fang. "I thought you said there were good guys here!"

"Relax, Max. I promise you, there are. Just keep looking around. Do you have any preferences?"

"Not much. Just nice and cute."

Fang smiled. "That shouldn't be hard to find."


	8. Fang the Idiot

Recap: _I turned to Fang. "I thought you said there were good guys here!"_

_"Relax, Max. I promise you, there are. Just keep looking around. Do you have any preferences?"_

_"Not much. Just nice and cute."_

_Fang smiled. "That shouldn't be hard to find."_

* * *

Fang walked me to the pizza table, where there was a loose group of football players hanging out. We sat down on one of the couches by the table.

"Hey, do you go here?" a boy asked me. I turned to face him. This guy was pretty hot. He had windswept blonde hair and pale skin. His face reminded me of Justin Bieber. I despised his music, but I couldn't deny his amazing looks.

"Nope."

"So where do you go?"

"Westpoint."

"Oh, that school. It's…interesting, to say the least," he said.

"Why? What do you have against it?"

"Oh, it's nothing. They just pranked us bad when we played there." I stifled a laugh as I pictured the Oakcrest football team simultaneously gagging from timed smoke bombs going off in the locker room.

"Yeah? What did we do?"

"Well, someone rigged the locker room sinks, so we got mud all over our hands. The locker room doors were also locked from the outside, so we were stuck. If it weren't for Iggy, we would've been dead meat." Why did that sound so familiar? Oh, yeah. I helped with that prank.

"That was mean," I said.

He shrugged. "It's a rivalry," he said. "By the way, some of my friends and I are going bowling next Friday on 17th. Are you in?" he asked. I took a bite of my pizza and chewed while I decided. He seemed nice, and he was cute, so what did I have to lose?

Before I could accept his offer, Fang spoke up. He'd been so quiet; I'd forgotten he was here. "Sorry, Brad. Max and I are flying to New York to catch a Broadway performance on Friday." I whipped around to face him. I glared at him. He got up, and motioned for me to follow him. As I followed him out of the room, confusion and anger swirled in my mind. Wasn't Fang trying to set me up? Why did he just shoot down a perfect opportunity?

When we were in the hallway, I yelled, "Fang! That guy was perfect!"

He looked at me, giving away nothing with his emotionless façade. "He has trouble maintaining relationships. Trust me, you don't want him?"

"How many girlfriends has he had this year?"

"Two."

"What the hell? You call that having trouble maintaining relationships?"

Fang waved his hand dismissively. "He's not the worst, but you deserve better."

"And where will I find 'better'?"

He shrugged. "Not sure, but I'm positive we will. My family is going to the lake next Saturday, and I have a bunch of cousins your age. You in?"

"Fine," I said grudgingly. Sure, I really wanted to go, but I was upset about what just happened. I was doing so well! Why did Fang have to interrupt me?

"Great. It's getting late, so we should probably get the girls and go before your mom gets suspicious."

"Crap! I told her I'd be back by five." It was already past six. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to my mom.

* * *

**To: Mom**

Gonna be home a little late. 7:30 maybe

* * *

I slid my phone back in my pocket and followed Fang back into the auditorium. Ella was holding hands with Iggy and talking in the corner we left them, and Nudge was talking to some blonde boy and laughing.

"Ella!" I called, walking over to her. She and Iggy quickly let go of each other's hands and stood up.

"Max! You won't believe it! Ig-," she said, before I cut her off.

"Tell me later. We have to go now. It's past six, and mom will get mad if we don't get home soon."

Ella's eyes widened. "Dammit! How did I forget?" She turned to Iggy and said, "Bye!"

"Later, Ella!" he said, giving her a peck on the cheek. Ella blushed madly, as if Iggy's lips injected red dye into her cheek. I turned away and started walking towards Nudge.

"Nudge!" I yelled, when I got close. She looked up at me and grinned.

"Max! I met this amazing boy-," she said. I had to cut these girls off WAY too often. Nudge said that phrase at least three times a week, yet always ended up single. Low standards, much?

"That's great! Just tell me later, okay?"

Nudge's eyes faded. "Okay."

"We have to move it. I told my mom five, and it's past six now." Nudge followed me as I ran back to Fang and an ecstatic Ella, and we all ran to Fang's car. Fang hit the gas, and we were on the way.

"So, what's the boy's name?" I asked Nudge.

"Gazzy. He's so awesome! He's kinda like Iggy, like, they both have blonde hair and like bombs. And he's sooo hot! He actually asked me out! Can you believe it!?" she squealed.

"Nudge? Gazzy is Iggy's brother."

Her eyes widened, and shrunk soon after. She shrugged. "He's hot and sweet, so I'm not complaining."

"I guess Iggy's family will have enough drama for a lifetime with two drama queens dating their sons."

"I am not a drama queen!" Ella and Nudge both exclaimed at the same time. I raised my eyebrows.

"Okay, fine, Ella is. But I'm not!" Nudge said.

Ella replied, "Are you kidding me? We don't call you the Nudge Channel for nothing! Enough words for a talk show and enough drama for a soap opera."

Nudge looked ready to respond, but she paused. "Hey, I like that phrase. It actually makes me sound professional."

"Oh, I don't think anything could make you look professional," Ella joked. "The only less professional person I know is Iggy."

Nudge's eyes lit up. "Iggy! How is he?" Amazing how her mood can go from feisty to obsessive in two seconds, huh?

"He's amazing! He actually asked me out! We're going out tomorrow!"

"Where is he taking you?"

"The land of overpriced coffee and stereotypical white girls."

"Starbucks?" Nudge guessed.

"Yep."

"Sounds fun! I'm going to see The Fault in Our Stars with Gazzy! It'll be super fun, but I hope I don't look like an idiot in front of him."

"You'll be fine," Ella assured Nudge. "If Gazzy is anything like his brother, he won't judge you."

Just then, Fang pulled into his apartment building. We left his car and entered Nudge's.

"Bye, Fang! Thanks for everything!" I called.

"No problem!"

I waved him goodbye as Nudge zoomed off into the street. She dropped Ella and I off at our house and drove home.


	9. Even if You Don't Know

Recap: _Just then, Fang pulled into his apartment building. We left his car and entered Nudge's._

_"Bye, Fang! Thanks for everything!" I called._

_"No problem!"_

_I waved him goodbye as Nudge zoomed off into the street. She dropped Ella and I off at our house and drove home._

* * *

When we got inside, the first thing I noticed was the incredible smell of dinner being cooked in the kitchen. Naturally, Ella and I gravitated towards the scent.

When Mom saw us, she immediately turned to face us. "Girls! How was the sleepover?"

"It was fun," Ella said. Crap! I forgot to come up with a good cover story.

"Yeah, we ended up watching a movie marathon and eating ice cream," I added.

"That sounds great. Max, what are you wearing?" she asked, staring at me.

I looked at my clothes. Without missing a beat, I responded, "There was no way I could sleep in the dress. Nudge let me borrow this outfit. I'm returning it to her tomorrow at school."

"You borrowed that…from Nudge?" my mom asked, shocked.

"Uh, yeah. Before the year, she wanted to get one outfit that wasn't fashionable in case she needed to repel attention." Not a bad lie, considering I made it up on the spot. My mom looked suspicious, but she let it go. When she turned back to her cooking, Ella and I went upstairs to our rooms.

When I got into my room, I immediately took off Fang's clothes and went over to my closet. I took out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and put them on. They actually looked a little like Fang's clothes. As I was folding Fang's clothes, my phone buzzed. I set down the clothes and picked it up.

* * *

**From: Fang Walker**

Hey, you left your dress here. Do you want me to drop it off?

* * *

**To: Fang Walker**

I'll come to your place. My mom wouldn't be happy if she saw you coming over. I'll be there in twenty.

* * *

I stuffed the clothes into a bag and walked downstairs. Just before I opened the front door, my mom called, "Where are you going?"

"Nudge's house. I'm returning her clothes and picking up my dress."

"Okay. Be careful driving, love!"

"I will!" I said, leaving the house. I sat down in my car and stuck the key in the ignition. Just then, I realized Fang never told me his address. I took out my phone and texted him.

* * *

**To: Fang Walker**

What's your address again? I don't think you've told me.

* * *

**From: Fang Walker**

Oh, sorry. It's 910 Pierpont Drive.

* * *

I put my phone down and hit the gas pedal. Within fifteen minutes, I was at the threshold of Fang's apartment building. I got out of my car and went to room 321, where Fang was sitting on the couch and typing something on his laptop.

"Oh, sorry," I said. "I should've knocked."

Fang looked up. "It's fine. Here's your dress, by the way," he said, handing me a bag on the table.

"Thanks. Your clothes are in here." I gave him the bag.

"By the way, do you want to bring Ella and Nudge on Saturday? Iggy and Gazzy are coming."

"Uh, sure. I'll ask them. So I'm meeting you here?"

"That sounds good. I'm planning to leave at around 11, so try to get here by 10 if you can."

"Alright. Bye, then," I said, turning around.

"See you later." I left the apartment and went back downstairs. I drove home and went back into my room, where Angel was waiting for me.

* * *

When Ella went into her room, she immediately whipped out her phone and dialed Nudge.

"Hello?" Nudge asked.

"Hey!" Ella said.

"Oh, it's you. What's up?"

"I was thinking…I have a plan."

"A plan for what?"

"A plan to get Fang and Max together."

"ZOMG THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, by the way they look at each other, they're obviously in love already. They just don't know it yet."

"I know, right! They're so clueless. But how can we get them together?"

"That's what I called you for. You're the expert on stuff like this," Ella said.

"You got that right. But this won't be easy. Give me some time to think."

"Sure thing! Let's give Fang a taste of his own medicine!"

"Hell yeah! I gotta run now. I'll think about it and get back to you tomorrow, m'kay?"

"See you later!" Ella said, hanging up her phone. She grinned. This would be fun.

* * *

"Hi, Max!" Angel squealed, running up to me. I knelt down and hugged her tightly.

When we let go, she said, "So who's the lucky guy?"

I froze. "What?" I responded.

"Nice try," she said, smirking. "Ella's face looks the same as yours, and she just got a boyfriend."

"I don't have a boyfriend, Angel. You know I don't date."

"I know there's a boy in your life you're head-over-heels in love with, Maxie." I paused. Angel was telling the truth, or at least trying to, but who could it be? Brad? No, that wasn't possible. I mean, he was handsome and nice, but I didn't really feel sparks fly between us. Fang? That couldn't be possible either. I certainly wouldn't have minded dating him, but Fax (Fang and Max. Get it?) had no chance of happening. If he was trying to set me up with another boy, he was obviously not interested. And I didn't blame him one bit. He could have any girl in the school. Why would he choose me?

I shouldn't have been too upset about it, because a guy like Fang probably had tons of friends similar to him. There were plenty of wonderful guys out there, and it was only a matter of time until I found one who could love me. See? I can think optimistically sometimes.

Ha. Right. Based on my experiences so far, I'd met about five good guys in my life. That didn't exactly inspire undying hope in me.

"Max?" Angel said, her eyes wide.

"Yeah-yeah, sorry, Angel. Just spaced out for a moment."

"I know you don't believe me, but I know I'm right. You are madly in love with a boy. Is it Iggy? That would make Ella mad."

"No! Of course it's not Iggy."

Angel grinned, satisfied I stepped right into her trap. "So you are in love with someone."

"No, I'm not! I honestly am not! I'd never lie to you, sweetie."

Angel stared at me, as if examining my soul. "You're telling the truth," she decided. "but you are in love with someone."

I sighed. Angel was relentless, persistent, and incredibly annoying when she wanted to be. "I'm not. I pinky promise, Ange."

She shook her head. "No, you are. You just don't know it yet," she said, standing up. She winked at me before leaving the room, leaving me to wonder what the hell she meant.

* * *

Guest: I'm glad you like the story, but please refrain from cursing out other reviewers. He's just trying to help, after all. I'm really happy that you like the story though!

bartlettpears: Thanks for the constructive criticism. Your reviews really help raise my awarenesss of OOC-ness and unrealisticness.

Thanks!


	10. Boat Time!

Recap: _Angel stared at me, as if examining my soul. "You're telling the truth," she decided. "but you are in love with someone."_

_I sighed. Angel was relentless, persistent, and incredibly annoying when she wanted to be. "I'm not. I pinky promise, Ange."_

_She shook her head. "No, you are. You just don't know it yet," she said, standing up. She winked at me before leaving the room, leaving me to wonder what the hell she meant._

* * *

I stared at the wall in my room for a good ten minutes, thinking about what Angel said.

_You are. You just don't know it yet._

That made no sense to me on many levels. First off, I would know if I was in love. I was feeling something I'd never felt before, but it had to have been hope. Love would've definitely been more noticeable. Secondly, how in the world would Angel know? She was six. I felt really weird about getting relationship advice from her, but thanks to Nudge and Ella, she was an expert already. She'd probably already seen more action in her love life at age six than I had at seventeen. Although cute and amusing, that thought flat-out depressed me.

As I ate dinner with my family, my mind couldn't think about anything except Fang. The boy Angel was talking about had to have been Fang, right? There was no one else it could've been. After dinner, I went back up to my room, where Ella was waiting.

"What's wrong, Max?" she asked me, patting the bed beside her.

I sat down and faced her. "Nothing's wrong. What makes you think that?"

She rolled her eyes. "You didn't say a word during dinner, and your eyes were glazing over. That never happens to you, Max. I'm your sister. You can tell me anything." She'd figure out it was Fang soon enough, so why not just tell her?

"It's Fang."

"You love him, don't you?"

"That's where it gets complicated. Angel told me that I'm madly in love with someone, even if I don't know it, and she's always right. But even though I think I might have a crush on Fang, I'm not sure if I _love _him," I said, fiddling with the buttons on my shirt.

Ella put her arm around me. "Only time will tell. But any time you need advice, or support, I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Ells."

"What are twin sisters for?" she said, smiling.

"Besides stealing chocolate, you mean? And by the way, Fang is inviting Nudge, you, and I to the lake with his family next Saturday. Iggy and Gazzy are coming, too."

"Ooh! I'm in."

"Good. We're meeting Fang at his apartment at 10."

Ella groaned. "Why do people wake up so early?"

"You're getting up at seven during the week. Nine on a weekend isn't too bad."

"I guess so. I gotta go, now. I need to pick out a good dress for my date with Iggy."

"Does Starbucks really qualify as a formal date?"

Ella paused. "Why not?" she decided, starting towards my door. As soon as she left, I changed into my pajamas and lay down. It wasn't even nine yet, but I was as exhausted as hell. So much had happened today, it was hard to believe that our trip to grab ice cream was just this morning. I picked my phone up from my dresser and texted Nudge.

* * *

**To: Nudge Adamson **

Fang is inviting you, Ella, and I to the lake on Saturday with his family. Gazzy and Iggy are coming.

* * *

**From: Nudge Adamson**

Crap. I'm taking my SAT on Saturday.

* * *

**To: Nudge Adamson**

Ah, that sucks. We'll catch you later, then.

* * *

I quickly checked my email, and set my phone back on my dresser. Just then, I realized something.

I hadn't done any of my homework.

Damn.

_Eh, screw it_, I thought, lying back down. Within minutes, I was asleep.

* * *

The week passed by in a blur. All of my teachers were pissed off about my lack of discipline, but I didn't regret anything. Opening myself up to a world of possibilities was well worth suffering a minor blow to my grades. I usually did all right, and I was sure I could get into Arizona State University. I was just focused on Saturday. Meeting Fang's cousins was the best chance I had at finding a good boyfriend.

When Saturday morning rolled around, Ella (who had gone on several dates with Iggy so far), Angel (Fang invited her later, once I told him about her), and I were prompt at arriving at Fang's house. He welcomed us inside, and we watched TV while we waited for Iggy and Gazzy to come. Within thirty minutes, they were at Fang's door. Fang let them in, and they joined us on the couch.

"Where's Nudge?" Gazzy asked.

"She can't make it," I told him. "SAT's."

"Aren't those in the spring?"

"She wanted to take them early to spare herself the stress while she's applying to college."

Gazzy swallowed. "I'm glad she can think ahead, because I sure as hell can't."

"You got that right," Iggy told him. "You don't wire the detonator before attaching the safety!"

"That was one time. Plus, the wires were insulated."

"That doesn't make it any less dumb."

"Wait, _what_?" Ella asked. Gazzy and Iggy stared at her.

"What do you mean?" Gazzy asked.

"Detonators? Are you guys ingenious pyromaniacs or something?"

Gazzy and Iggy looked at each other. "Yep," the answered in unison.

Fang spoke up. "Didn't I warn you, Ella?"

"Come to think of it, yes you did."

"I couldn't let you date a crazy pyro without warning you, could I?"

Ella blushed. "I guess so."

"I know so. Iggy can get crazy at times. So are you guys ready to hit it? It's almost eleven." We all stood up and followed Fang to his SUV. Fang drove, I sat shotgun, Ella and Iggy sat in the middle row, and Gazzy and Angel sat in the back.

Thankfully, the lake was close, so we were there in half an hour. Fang's family was already waiting for us. His parents were there, along with a handful of aunts and uncles. Fang's cousins were already waiting by the boat. There were maybe three high school guys out of the fifteen or so cousins.

A chorus of "Yo!"'s and "Hey!"'s erupted from the crowd as they saw Fang. A blonde boy around Fang's age stepped forward and gave Fang a bro hug.

"Nice to see you, man!" he said. He looked over us. "Who are these lovely ladies you've brought here?"

"This is Mason," Fang told us. "This is Ella, Iggy's boyfriend. And this is my friend Maximum."

"Call me Max," I told him. He held out his hand for me to shake, and I clasped it firmly.

"Pleased to meet you. You're dating Fang?"

"We're just friends," Fang answered for me.

Mason eyed us warily. "Oh, ok. Are you guys up for the boat? We just fired it up. There are only twelve seats, but Isabella and the younger kids can go afterwards."

"It's fine," Iggy answered. "Let 'em go first."

Mason shrugged. "Okay," he said. "KIDS! BOAT TIME!" he called. A group of young kids, the oldest maybe being nine, ran towards the boat and climbed on, one by one.

"I'll drive them," a girl a little older than me volunteered.

"Thanks, Sarah," Mason said.

"No problem." She followed the kids to the boat and got in the driver's seat. Mason, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, and two other boys helped push the boat out into the water. We watched as they sailed off into the lake.


	11. The Second Time

"So, who's up for some lunch?" Brian, Mason's brother, asked. The younger kids had just gotten back from their round of tubing, and it was our turn now. Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Ella, Mason, Brian, Sarah, Sam, and I were on the boat in the middle of the river.

"Me!" Ella said. Everyone else seemed okay with eating. Brian and Sam passed out paper bags with a sandwich and apple each in them. I scarfed down my lunch within five minutes and waited for everyone else to finish.

After lunch, the unanimous decision among us was to go tubing. Gazzy and Mason wanted to go first, so they jumped into the water and swam for the tube. They got in and Fang hit the accelerator. He drove in circles around the lake, stopping suddenly several times and making sharp turns to try to throw Gazzy and Mason off the tube. Even with Fang's excellent maneuvers, Gazzy and Mason hung on for several minutes before Fang dropped them off the wake, causing the tube to skid madly and throw Gazzy several feet. We all cheered for Fang as Gazzy and Mason swam back to the boat.

"That-was-mean," Gazzy gasped, between breaths. He was completely drenched.

Fang grinned. "I never lose."

"Is that a challenge?" Brian said.

"Sure."

"You ready, Sam?"

"You bet!" Sam exclaimed. They boarded the tube, and Fang hit it. Brian and Sam didn't last nearly as long as Gazzy and Mason did. Within thirty seconds, they both flew off the tube headfirst. Fang grinned smugly as they shamefully swam back to the boat, defeated.

"Ella and I will go next," Iggy volunteered. "Take it easy, Fang. Give us a minute of normal riding."

"Sure thing," Fang told them. They jumped off and swam to the tube. This time, Fang started slowly and built up speed, but didn't pull off any surprising maneuvers. Iggy had his arms wrapped around Ella's waist. Her hair was flying back into Iggy's face, but he didn't seem to mind. Both of them looked ecstatic.

"Get ready!" Fang called through the wind. Iggy broke his grip on Ella's waist, and they both grabbed the tube's handles. Fang took a sharp curve, hugging the lake's edge, but let them ride for another minute before making a quick ninety-degree turn, completely catching the lovebirds off balance. The tube rolled off of the wake and bounced several times before stopping. Iggy spat out some water and Ella grabbed his hand as they made their way back to the boat. Ella wrung her hair out, and the two sat down.

"Thanks, bro," Iggy told Fang.

"No problem. Who wants to go next? Sarah and Max?"

Sarah shook her head. "I'm good."

Fang smiled. "I guess Max and I will go then." I was thankful nobody could see the leap my heart did at hearing those words. Fang and I jumped off the boat and swam to the tube. We got on and Fang wrapped his arms around my waist the way Iggy did with Ella. I leaned back into him as Sarah started driving.

Thankfully, she wasn't on Fang's level when it came to dirty boat maneuvers. She made several sharp turns, but that was about it. I was very well aware that Fang's arms were wrapped around me, and I could feel his every breath.

Finally, when we let our guard down, Sarah suddenly stopped the boat, throwing the tube forwards. Fang and I stayed with the tube, but we couldn't prevent it from flipping over.

I really didn't remember what happened then, but all I knew was that at the end of it, I was lying on top of Fang, on top of the tube, my face inches from his. His deep, black eyes locked into mine. I hoped he couldn't feel my heart beating a mile a minute. At that moment, all I wanted to do was lean down and kiss Fang.

"Uh, Max? You're kind of on top of me," Fang said, snapping me out of my fantasies.

"Sorry," I said, jumping off the tube. My rush of adrenaline immediately left me as I swam back to the boat. That was when I realized something: Fang was the one I wanted. I _loved _him. Angel was right. I felt incredibly dumb and clueless for not noticing it up until now.

Too bad he was trying to set me up with his friends and his cousins. If anything was, that was a sign he wasn't interested in me.

Fang and I climbed the ladder back to the boat and sat back down.

"Are you sure you aren't together?" Mason asked us warily.

"We're not," Fang told him. The hint of uncertainty in his voice caused my heart to do a flip. Normally, I would've tried to ignore or deny it, but with Fang, I wanted to love him. I knew it would cause me pain, and possibly shatter my heart, but it was worth it. I would've done anything for that boy.

Mason didn't look convinced, but he turned around and went back to his seat. Fang took the driver's seat and drove us back to the shore. It was nearly sundown now, and we were nearly ready to return home. After changing back into our regular clothes, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Ella, Angel, and I drove back to Fang's house.

Just before we left, Sam came up to talk to me. "Hey, Max. Do you live in Phoenix?"

"Yeah," I answered.

He took a deep breath. "Do you want to see a movie with me next Saturday? I heard there's a new one that came out recently."

I thought about it for a minute, considering my options. Sam was cute and nice. I couldn't deny that. He wasn't Fang, but I could've definitely done worse than Sam. You could say I was interested in a go-around.

Fang spoke up. "Actually, she's busy. We have an assembly for school that day."

"On Saturday?" Sam asked, incredulous.

Fang shrugged. "Strange school."

"Oh, ok. Well, I'll see you around, Fang."

"Later."


	12. The Plan

Recap: _I thought about it for a minute, considering my options. Sam was cute and nice. I couldn't deny that. He wasn't Fang, but I could've definitely done worse than Sam. You could say I was interested in a go-around._

_Fang spoke up. "Actually, she's busy. We have an assembly for school that day."_

_"On Saturday?" Sam asked, incredulous._

_Fang shrugged. "Strange school."_

* * *

As soon as Sam was out of earshot, I turned to Fang. "That's twice! What's wrong with you? You're trying to set me up, and you turn down two perfectly good guys _for me. _I'm perfectly capable of telling people off, I'll have you know," I growled angrily.

"I'm sorry, Max. He's just not your type. Dating him would bore you to tears."

"And since when was that a problem?! I just wanted a guy who was cute and treats me well!"

Fang paused a moment before speaking. "I'm sorry, but I have to say no. You'll thank me later."

"Excuse me, Mr. Philosophy? I can make my own decision, thank you very much. How am I supposed to find someone better than these guys? We've already sifted through the football team and your cousins."

"We will, Max. I know it."

"I really hope you have a great plan coming up, because you've thrown two of the best guys I've met out the window."

"I promise."

"Good."

* * *

After we arrived at Fang's apartment, Ella, Angel, and I said our goodbyes and drove back home. During the car ride home, Angel told me, "You love Fang, am I right?"

I took a deep breath before answering. "Yes." Ella immediately pulled over and stared at me.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. I'm positive. And I'm sorry, Angel, for blowing you off the other day."

Angel wrapped her arms around my neck and whispered, "It's okay."

"Are you going to tell him?" Ella asked me.

"I don't think I can. He doesn't love me back, and I don't even know what to say."

"How do you figure that?"

"He was trying to set me up with his friends. Isn't that reason enough?"

Ella paused before speaking. "Do you mind if I speak with Fang?"

"Sure, if you want to. I'll send you his number. Why do you want to?"

"Just for fun. He seems like a cool guy and a good friend."

"Cut the crap. Spill," I pressed.

"Listen, just give me the number, m'kay? It's really important."

"Fine," I said. I punched Fang's number into a message and sent it to Ella. Her phone buzzed, and she looked at the number I sent. After adding Fang to her contacts, she looked back at me.

"Thanks. Let's go home now," she said. We were silent the rest of the car ride. When Ella pulled into the driveway, I jumped out of the car and went inside. I was greeted by my mom.

"Max! How-wait, it's Fang, isn't it?" she asked me. How can she freaking read my mind like that? Life is so unfair.

"Yeah," I said.

"Oh, honey. Have you told him anything yet?"

"Nope. I'm off to my room," I said, before my mom could say anything else. I immediately flopped down on my bed and grabbed my iPod. Before long, I lost myself in the music.

* * *

Ella and Angel excitedly scrambled down to the basement. Naturally, Ella assumed Fang loved Max as well. After mentally analyzing the evidence, she was sure of it. Ella heard Fang turn down Sam for Max, and could find only one possible reason why: Fang wanted Max for himself.

As soon as they locked themselves in the storage room, Ella dialed Fang's number.

"Hello? Who is this?" Fang asked.

"Ella."

"Oh, hi. What's up?"

"Angel and I need to ask you a question."

"Ask away," Fang said.

"Do you love Max?" Ella asked.

After a long pause, Fang finally responded, "Why?"

"No reason. Just curious."

"Yes."

Ella could hardly suppress her squeal of excitement. "Okay, so do you want to tell her?"

"I can't. It would kill me to see her reject me. She's pissed at me right now, and I don't want to ruin any chance I have. Not like I had any in the first place, though. I don't deserve her."

"She loves you too, Fang."

"What? How do you know?"

"She told me."

"Really?"

"Positive."

"Huh. Honestly, I don't think I can bring myself to tell her, though. She hates me right now."

"You don't have to," Ella said, grinning. "I have a plan."

"Those are scary words. What do you have in mind?"

"You can write a letter to Max. When you're done, come over to my house. We'll hide it somewhere outside, and I'll text Max to tell her where it is. You'll be nearby. She'll read the letter, realize you love her, and you'll both run happily into the sunset."

After a pause, Fang replied, "That's actually a really good idea. I'll get started."

"Yes! Thanks, Fang!"

"For what?"

"Um, agreeing to our plan."

"Oh. Thanks for the help, Ella. I owe you big time."

"You do," Ella agreed. "But get to work now."

"Will do." After he hung up, Ella and Angel exchanged a look before bursting into celebration. After they regained their bearings, Ella pulled out her phone and called Nudge.

"What's up?" Nudge asked.

"I have the plan!" Ella exclaimed.

"What is it?"

"I just told Fang to write a letter to Max. When he's done, can come here? I'll be waiting. We'll hide it, tell Max where it's hidden, and watch her read it. Max will hopefully try to go to Fang's apartment to tell him she loves him too, and Fang will stop her."

"That's amazing! Are you sure they both love each other?"

"Yeah. They both told me separately."

"They make such a freaking cute couple," Nudge said.

"I know, right? I'm surprised they took longer than us."

"Yeah! That's weird. But anyways, do you want me to come over now?"

"Sure. Can you park your car a block away and meet me behind the house?"

"Sure thing!" Nudge said, hanging up.

Ella and Angel grinned maniacally at their truly devious plan. Max will never know what hit her.

Just before she texted Max, Ella remembered one more thing. She texted Iggy, telling him to come, bringing Gazzy.

* * *

Are you guys smelling it?


	13. The Letter

To the reviews about how last chapter really rushed things and was OOC: Yeah, sorry about that. I realized that just after I wrote it, and I didn't want to change it. I hope you aren't too upset, though, because you totally owe me for this chapter! (:

No recap this time; not gonna be needed. (:

Enjoy!

* * *

I was lying upright in bed, really regretting what I did. I lashed out at Fang, pretty much convincing him I was a walking unstable explosive device. He was trying to help me, and I shut him down. But if he was trying to set me up, why did he turn down Brad and Sam? He knew as well as I did that they were perfectly fine. He should've had no reason to do that.

I stared at my wall, ignoring some random irritating cheering noises from downstairs, when my phone buzzed. Thankfully, nobody was there to see me, because I jumped the moment it buzzed. I hit my head on the back of my bed and rolled onto the ground in pain.

"Ughughurggggghh," I moaned, reaching for my phone.

* * *

**From: Ella Ride**

Hey, Max? There's a surprise for you. Look behind the maple tree out back. Hurry!

* * *

I slowly got up, muttering a few curse words while I was at it. I stuffed my phone in my back pocket and walked downstairs. After I put my shoes on, went outside, and walked to the backyard, which was completely empty, I walked to the maple tree behind the house and looked around for anything. On the backside of the tree, I felt an envelope.

_From Fang_, it read. I knit my eyes in confusion. Why would Fang and Ella be coordinating to write a letter and stick it on the back of a tree?

I opened the letter, and I felt something I'd never felt before after reading the first line.

_Max,_

_This past week, I realized you're the most beautiful girl I have ever met. Actually, since the first time I saw you, I knew you're the most beautiful girl in the world, inside and out. _

_When I first met you, my head was spinning. I couldn't think correctly. The only thing on my mind was you. No matter how hard I tried to focus on other things, you always popped up in my mind._

_And yesterday, I realized that I was falling for you. Like,_ falling _in love with you. Every time you're near me, I can't think straight. Whenever you smile, my knees go weak. Whenever you approach me, I turn to jelly. Those mesmerizing chocolate brown eyes of yours can make any guy bow to your feet. In short, you have me wrapped around your finger. _

_What I'm been trying to say is, I love you, Maximum Ride. I love you so much it hurts. You turned my world upside down. That's the reason I wouldn't let you date Brad or Sam. We both know they were great guys. I just couldn't bear the thought of you going out with anybody else. Brad is my good friend, and even worse, Sam is my cousin. When I saw Sam ask you out, that was when I knew I loved you. _

_I'm sorry I'm too much of a coward to ask you this in person. I couldn't stand to listen to you reject me in person. But will you be my girlfriend?_

_I'll understand if you never want to see me again. _

_I'll love you forever,_

_Fang_

_P.S.: Turn around once you finish reading._

As soon as I finished reading the letter, Fang's words finally set in. I couldn't hold it back. I dropped the letter, knelt down, and sobbed into my shirt. A rush of tear-jerking joy flooded through me, and I knew I'd never felt this happy in my life. Fang, the boy of my dreams, loved me back. Everything that had happened in the past week became crystal clear. _That _was why Fang wouldn't let me date the other boys. Thank goodness he didn't, because Fang completely put them to shame in every way.

When I finished crying, and wiped my eyes on my already soaked shirt, I read the letter one more time. This time, I caught what Fang wrote in the post script. I turned around, and to say I was shocked would've been an understatement.

Fang, in all his amazingness, was standing before me. I gasped and looked into his eyes. His expression told me he meant every word he wrote.

I handed the letter to him. "Can you read it out loud to me?"

Expressionless, Fang responded, "Why?"

"Just do it. And cut straight to the part that counts."

Realizing why I wanted him to say it aloud, he looked at me understandingly. "I love you, Max," he said, handing the letter back to me.

His words sent my heart into a frenzy, beating faster than I thought humanly possible. I hoped my cheeks weren't as red as they felt. I scanned his eyes, seeing exactly what I wanted to see. Confidence and certainty.

"Max?" Fang said, frowning. "I'm sorry. I should've known you didn't like me like that, and I understand if you-"

"Fang," I interrupted. "I love you, too."

Fang's eyes widened slightly, and I lifted my head to look into them properly. We held each other's gaze for several moments before I wrapped my arms around his waist and set my head on his shoulder. He ran one hand through my hair and rested the other on my back. We stayed in each other's embrace, savoring each other's presences, for several moments before Fang pulled away. He looked into my eyes, and I knew exactly what was coming next as his face inched closer to mine.

My world tipped upside down, and I pressed my lips to Fang's.

Feeling his wonderful lips on mine was the last thing I needed to convince me that Fang was all I'd ever want or need. The warmth of his mouth sent a current of adrenaline running through my body. Our lips moved in sync as Fang's arms were wrapped tightly around my waist. I pulled him as close as I could and deepened our kiss. I'd never kissed a boy before, but it came to me naturally with Fang. At that moment, nothing in the world mattered except for Fang.

After a minute, we broke apart for a moment to breathe. Just as quickly as he pulled away, Fang kissed me again, even harder this time. I took a deep breath of the legal drug known as the smell of Fang just before his lips met mine for the second time. I ran both of my hands through his silky, black hair and set my forehead on his. He looked just as entranced as I felt, which I took as a good sign.

Forgetting we were standing up, I wrapped my legs around Fang. It caused him to tumble to the ground, taking me with him. He didn't miss a beat. Our mouths didn't disconnect for a second as we continued our kiss on the ground. Neither of us relented until I finally pulled away, gasping for breath. I lay down on the grass next to Fang and rested my head on his shoulder.

"So I take that as a yes?" Fang asked me.

"What?" To any other girls out there, I'll warn you right now. Kissing a hot guy shorts out your brain badly. It's an experience that you can never fully recover from. I highly recommend it.

"To my question on the letter. Will you be my girlfriend?"

I laughed. "So, you think I'd kiss you, tell you I love you, and take it back and say I want to be friends? Yeah, of course I will, dumbass."

"Just checking," Fang said, smiling. After a moment, he said, "I guess I made good on my promise. You got a boyfriend within a week so good-looking it should be illegal."

"No, what should be illegal is you even thinking you're good-looking. Because that's completely false." Just then, I heard a sudden burst of cheering and clapping from my deck. Nudge, Ella, Gazzy, Iggy, and Angel were ecstatically clapping and jumping up and down.

"You guys haven't been watching the whole time, have you?" I asked, groaning. How did Gazzy and Iggy even get here? Did they all plan this?

"Of course not. We just came out a minute ago," Angel responded.

"And you owe me twenty bucks, Iggy!" Ella yelled.

"Wait, _what? _You guys bet on whether we would get together?" I protested.

Ella, Iggy, Nudge, and Gazzy looked at each other guiltily and shrugged. "I guess you could say that," Gazzy said. "And I'll give you your twenty later, Nudge."

"You guys are messed up," I told them. All five of my friends laughed and went back inside.

"The irony is just catching up to me now," Fang said, after they left.

"What?"

"Me trying to set you up, and ending up keeping you for myself."

I laughed. "From day one, I hoped this would happen. I kept thinking you weren't interested in me since I thought you were planning to set me up with your friends. Turns out it was all a set-up, literally."

"I wasn't trying to mess with you. I just felt…protective, I guess, when I saw the other boys talking to you."

"Jealous?"

Fang looked taken aback. "Why would you think that?" he said, in a mock serious tone. We both laughed, as we sat up.

"I better go now," Fang said.

"No, I need one more thing. I should probably introduce you to my parents."

Fang groaned. "All right."

* * *

FAX! At last, they get together!

This is the last chapter, but there will be two humorous epilogues coming up. I'm tempted to end the story here, because the last two are filler, but that wouldn't be fair to you guys. I said 15, I'll write 15.


	14. Shut Up and Kiss Me

I decided to show Fang to my dad first, because if he was okay with us being together, I was positive my mom would. We walked into my dad's office, where he was working on his computer. When he saw us, he immediately saved his work, stood up, and walked to the other side of his desk.

"So who is this?" my dad asked me.

"My boyfriend, Fang."

Dad's eyes drifted over to Fang and remained there. "Why haven't you told me about him before, Maximum?"

"We got together fifteen minutes ago."

"Ah. So Fang, first off, what is your surname?"

"Walker, sir."

"Your age?"

"Eighteen."

"Do you have a history of dating numerous girls without commitment?"

"No, sir. Your daughter can attest to the fact that I'm very selective with my girlfriends and respect their feelings."

"What are your academic accomplishments thus far, Mr. Walker?"

"I have a perfect four-point-oh grade point average to this point. I've gotten accepted into Stanford with a scholarship, sir. I'm staying here in Arizona so I can be with your daughter." My mouth dropped open. Fang got into one of the best schools in the country, and he was staying behind for _me_?

My dad looked impressed. "Your criminal record?"

"Besides one unwarranted detention? Completely clean." I could tell Fang was getting slightly annoyed with my dad's background check, but I knew he was answering them for my sake. He didn't want to come across as rude and disrespectful towards authority to my dad, or else he'd have second thoughts about letting Fang date me.

"Do you have a job?"

"I work at a coffee shop right now, but I reckon I'll have no trouble finding a good career in the computer field once Max and I are done with college."

My dad looked Fang up and down, and looked to me. "Well, then, as long as you're both happy, I think you'd be perfect for my daughter."

"Yes! Thanks, dad!" I exclaimed, leaping forward to hug him. He awkwardly patted my back as my hopes were confirmed. Fang was mine, hopefully forever.

I pulled out of his embrace and took Fang's hand. As my dad went back to his computer, I led Fang to the living room and sat down beside him on the couch. "Did you really get into Stanford?"

"What, you thought I lied to your dad? Yeah, I did get into Stanford."

"And you're staying behind?"

He grinned. "Well, I assume you're going to ASU, and there's no way I'm leaving you behind."

"I love you, Fang."

"I love you too."

"I love you more."

Fang raised his eyebrows. "Are you kidding? I-"

"Fang?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and kiss me," I said, smirking.

And he did.

* * *

Picturing the legendary Fang Walker with a mundane, uncool girl like me was so difficult, our classmates were beyond surprised when they saw our intertwined hands as we walked down the hallway. I felt like hundreds of people were looking at me with various degrees of hate, envy, and shock. I was too happy to feel proud. Ever since I read Fang's letter, I'd been living on Cloud Nine. I never wanted to come down.

Over the months, our relationship remained steady as I became better friends with Iggy and Gazzy. Whenever I wasn't alone with Fang, Ella, Nudge, Gazzy, Iggy, Fang, and I hung out together. We had to enforce a no-PDA rule to keep everyone sane. Ella and Iggy felt no shame in making out in public. Fang and I, however, had the restraint to wait until we were behind closed doors.

* * *

Sorry about the super short chapter. I'll make up for it next chapter, though. You guys won't hate me for too long, I hope.


	15. Epilogue

In August two years later, my nineteenth birthday rolled around. All of us except for Gazzy and Angel were ready to go to college the next year. Fang, Ella, Iggy, and I were all planning to attend ASU, while Nudge was going to the University of Arizona. Gazzy had one year of high school left before he was going to attend UA on a full football scholarship.

I had a small party at my house, inviting just our group of friends. We relaxed, ate cake, and played basketball. Iggy was pretty good, but Gazzy's football skills did not translate to basketball at all. He couldn't dribble the ball once without losing control. It was pretty funny to watch.

Even though I told them it wasn't necessary, my friends and sisters all brought me presents. We sat in a circle in my living room to open my presents.

"Open mine first!" Gazzy said.

"Okay. Which one is it?"

"The big blue one," Gazzy replied. I grabbed the rather heavy present in blue wrapping paper and set it down in front of me. I quickly tore the wrapping paper to shreds and tossed it aside. Fang eyed me warily, as if wondering why he had such a violent girlfriend.

Inside the wrapping paper was a big, blue cooler. I stared at them, wondering why they were so excited over it. "Look inside," Gazzy said, forcing down his smile. I took the lid off to reveal…a pile of ice. I put my hands in the cooler and sifted through the ice until I found several hard objects towards the bottom. Carefully not displacing the ice, I pulled one of the objects out of the cooler and looked at it.

It was a tub of ice cream.

I looked at the label, and it read _Vanilla Ice Cream With Bacon Bits._ When I read it out loud, I started laughing, hard, and the others joined me. Ice cream with bacon bits was the most ingenious idea in the world. Why hadn't I thought of it earlier?

"Yes, Gazzy. Just yes. Thanks a ton," I told him. Gazzy looked pretty satisfied with himself.

"Mine next!" Ella said. She tossed me a small gift box about the size of a football wrapped in silver. I peeled off the tape and let the wrapping drop. Behind the outer layer lay another layer of wrapping paper.

"Really?" I mumbled, ripping off the next layer. Ella was softly giggling as I ripped off layer and layer of the stuff. I had a feeling I wouldn't like what was inside.

When I got to the center, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a box of condoms.

"ELLA! WHAT THE FREAKING HELL?! I'M SO GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS!" I yelled at her. Everyone was laughing hysterically except for Fang and I. Iggy was clutching his stomach and rolling backwards. I had no doubt he was the one who inspired the stunt. Gazzy and Nudge had tears coming out of their eyes, Ella was completely out of control, and even Angel was laughing hard.

I threw the box of condoms at Ella who didn't look up in time to catch it. It hit her in the face and sent her into a new wave of hysterics.

Still laughing, Ella picked up the box and tossed it back. "Open-it," she managed.

"I DON'T NEED CONDOMS!" I shouted.

"Just open it," she persisted. I glared at her, but she didn't drop her gaze. I opened the box and saw a tiny envelope drop out. The box was empty besides the envelope. I glared at Ella again.

I set the box down and opened the envelope. Inside, there was a hard piece of plastic. I slid it out and read it. It was a twenty dollar gift card to the ice cream shop.

"Wow…" I growled, looking at Ella. "Thanks, though."

"You're welcome, sister."

"Wait a minute. If you gave me the empty box of condoms, where are the condoms themselves?" I asked Ella, raising my eyebrows.

She immediately blushed. "In-in-the trash! I promise!"

"Used or unused?" Gazzy asked. Iggy shoved his brother, who toppled into a chair, which fell on top of him. "Aaagh!" he cried, pushing the chair off of him.

"So, used or unused?" I asked my sister.

"Unused!" she cried, way too quickly and urgently.

I was shocked. "You guys have done it?!" I asked incredulously.

"No! Why would you think that?" she said, looking anywhere but Iggy.

"You should open my gift next," Iggy said, wisely changing the subject. I stared at Ella, knowing she wasn't telling me the truth. I gave her a look saying, _this conversation isn't over,_ before turning to Iggy.

"Which one's yours?" I asked.

"The small tubular one."

I fished around until I found a thin, green tube slightly longer than a typical cardboard center of a roll of toilet paper. I slid the wrapping off, revealing a brown, cardboard tube. I stared at Iggy. "I don't get it."

He laughed. "Tip it on its side." I did as he told me, and a purple…thing fell out. It was a plastic purple tube that tapered off into a dome at one end.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Press the button on the flat end," he told me. When I pressed it, the entire piece of plastic started vibrating.

"I don't get it. What is-NO WAY. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?" I roared, realizing what it was.

Iggy gave me a purple vibrator.

He doubled over in laughter, again, and everyone repeated the same procedure as before, which was laughing so hard they fell over. This time, even Fang was laughing.

Iggy stopped laughing for a moment and looked at me. "Open the cap," he told me. I did as he said, and I was greeted by a purple tube full of m&amp;m's.

"You guys…" I muttered, picking up one of the candies and dropping it in my mouth. "Why didn't it rattle, Iggy?"

"I packed them tightly, and padded the walls, so no noise got through."

"So, let me get this straight. You gave me a hi-tech vibrator full of m&amp;m's?"

Iggy grinned. "Pretty much. Don't worry, it doesn't function as a vibrator. It's unsanitary and _plastic,_ for heaven's sake."

"Oh, jeez. You thought I was thinking about using it?"

He shrugged. "Girls these days."

"Hey!" Ella protested.

"Anyone crazy enough to date _me _must have some serious issues," he said. "Kidding, babe."

After that, I opened the rest of the presents, which were nowhere near as crazy as the first three. Angel (CRAP. I forgot about her! She wasn't supposed to know about vibrators and condoms! I'm totally going to kill you, Iggy and Ella.) gave me a silver butterfly necklace, which I put on right away, and Nudge gave me a new wallet after my old one ripped in two.

"Fang?" I asked.

"Turn around," he told me. I did as he asked. While I was turned around, everyone suddenly gasped. I turned back around, and gasped along with them. Except mine was the only one that mattered.

Fang was kneeling in front of me, holding a black box with a gold ring in it. "Ever since our first kiss, my life has been like heaven. I don't know where I'd be without you. So, Maximum Ride, will you have the pleasure of being my wife?"

Without hesitation, I nodded. "Yes. A hundred times, yes," I said, fighting to hold back tears.

Fang broke into a grin and took the ring out of the box. He slid it onto the ring finger of my left hand and stood up. I threw my arms around him, and he wrapped his strong arms around my waist. I let my tears flow, and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, bringing his lips to mine. I was aware of my friends and sisters cheering, but the only thing that mattered at that moment was Fang.

* * *

There you have it. Falling For Her Matchmaker is officially over. I really didn't want this to end...but this spot seemed perfect. Either here or two chapters ago.

A few thank you's:

Thanks to **iluviggyhesthebest **for faithfully reviewing every chapter (I think? :P) and offering suggestions/moral support throughout the story!

Thanks to **SeaWolf13, DntlessAnnabeth, virls101, zoxy2, LanieBaLanie, **and** FAXalltheway **for being some of my more dedicated and hilarious readers!

Thanks to everyone who has read, followed, and/or reviewed this story. It means a lot, and I wish I could put all of your names here!

I know you're not reading this, at least I'm 99.9999% sure, but thank you, James Patterson, for creating these amazing characters.

Peace out and fly on!

-J

EDIT 1/5/2015: If anyone happens to still be reading this, I've deleted the last two chapters. Honestly, I wasn't happy with them at all and the story has a much better ending right here. If you'd like to know what happens just message me and I'll tell ya but it doesn't add much to the story. Fly on!


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